Advertising and like apparatus.



T. BOWDBN.

ADVERTISING AND LIKE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED 28.24, 1010.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented May 13, 1913.

May '1 i V guiibizi. v

T. BOWDEN.

ADVERTISING AND LIKE APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED IEB.24, 19H).

1,061,520. Patented May13,1913.

8 BHEETFPSHEBT 2.

T. BOWDEN.

ADVERTISING AND LIKE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.24, 1910.

Patented May 13, 1913.

a anus-sham s.

THOMAS BOWDEN, .OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

ADVERTISING AND LIKE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1913.

Application filed February 24, 1910. Serial No. 545,592.

' cation.

This invention refers to and consists of a new or improved construction of advertising or like displayapparatus, the special features of which are herein fully described and pointed out in the claim.

Upon the accompanying drawing Figure 1 illustrates a front view of one form of the improved apparatus as it would appear when set up for display purposes. Fig. 2

.illustrates a sectional plan of the apparatus showing the internal arrangements. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate transverse sections showing how the shape of the frames and rollers may be modified. Fig. 5 illustrates in diagram another position of the frames and rollers shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 illustrates means for intermittently rotating the frames. Fig. 7 illustrates in section a modified constructlon of a paratus. Fig. 8 illustrates a face view of ig. 7 with the front removed. Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate details hereinafter referred to.

According to the invention the apparatus consists of a casing a suitably designed for the particular situation or place in which it is to be erected the one shown in Fig. 1 being chiefly applicable for placing over the doorways of shops or the like. \Vithin said casing a are mounted in suitable bearings the frames 1) which carry the matter to be displayed, the number of frames used depending on the size of the casing and the form or nature of the matter to be displayed.

Usually in an apparatus as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 there will be, say, three frames 1) arranged in a vertical plane. Mounted also in bearings within the casing a and toward the front thereof are the rollers c which form the chief feature of this invention. The rollers o are so arranged that they approximately fill up or close in the space left between two adjoining frames b,'see Figs. 3 and 4. On one end of each frame 6 is a toothed wheel (l which gears with pinions 6, one arranged above and the other below. On the same spindle as each of the pinions e is a toothed wheel f the lowermost of which gears with a pinion or wheel g mounted on a shaft h which latter is driven either by a motor arranged within the casing a or by external means. Also mounted at the end of each roller 0 is a pinion i which gears with one of toothed wheels f mounted upon the shafts of the pinions e. The gearing is such that the rollers c rotate more quickly than the frames 1) and when the rollers c are finished in, say, two colors the arrangement is such that for one series of facets of the frames 1) displayed the rollers 0 will present one color while for the next adjacent facets the roller will present the other color, thus with the frames 1) made with four facets as illustrated in Fig. 3 the opposite facets will be of one color and the other facets will be of another color, two of the facets corresponding with one half of the surface of the rollers (1 and the other two facets corresponding with the other half of the rollers. In this way when the motion of the frames and rollers is 'arrested the color presented willbe uniform. When the rollers c are made cylindrical, as shown in Fig. 4, they may be arranged to rotate continuously .and be either in one color or more colors as desired.

For the purpose of giving the intermittent motion the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 is preferably employed, the toothed disk 7.: being arranged on the main shaft h and taking the place of the wheel 5 while the notched disk Z would be mounted on the bottom shaft carrying one of the pinions e, or suitable clutch mechanism may be employed for giving the intermittent motion as will be well understood. At each end of the frames a and rollers c is arranged a vertical cylinder or .roller m which may be either stationary or rotatable. As shown in Fig. 2 they are geared up and driven through pinions and bevel wheels from the uppermost roller 0. These rollers may be all of one color or in a variety of colors and for an apparatus of the kind shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the matter or name displayed is usually placed on the glass cover inclosing the rollers and is such that as the rollers or when made up in a variety of colors rotate. they cause a very pleasing effect. The rollers o and m, also the slides or facets of the frames 0 are preferably made of glass so that the various parts may be illuminated at night. The illuminations consist preferably of electric lamps carried in the interior of the rollers and frames as shown in Fig. 10 where the fixed shafts are made hollow and the conducting wires pass therethrough and through slots or openings formed at various points along the shafts to connect to lamps 0 which are held to the shafts in any suitable manner. The bosses of the toothed. Wheels serve for the necessary mounting of the frames and rollers at one end or their respective shafts, while at the other they (the frames and rollers) are provided with disks which loosely fit upon the shafts. A star is produced on the glass front of the upper part of the casing, see Fig. 1.

The advertising matter for the frames 7) when made up of letters is usually placed on glass slides 10, see Fig. 9, either extending the whole length or preferably in sections and consists in securing the letters made out of tin-foil thereon. To give colored effects the inner face of the glass may be lacquered with a colored lacquer. Instead of using round rollers oval rollers may be used, or curved, semicylindrical or beveled and fixed cross-bars may be used, the main requirement being to insure that the letters on the frames shall be visible at all elevations.

While the apparatus will usually be made in single form as shown it may be made in double form 2'. 6. two sets of frames 1) and rollers a may be arranged side by side and driven from a common motor mounted between the two sets. In places where the ment being to so arrange the rollers and frames that there shall be little or no space left between the rollers and frames, also that the rollers are such that the facets are at all times distinctly visible. lVhat I claim is In apparatus for displaying advertisements and for like purposes, a casing and a revolving frame within such casing carrying the lettering or other matter to be displayed, and means rotating said frame intermittently, in combination with rotatable members arranged in such relation to the frame as to form the sides of the apertures through which the lettering is visible, and said members being multi-colored in order that when rotated they will give a novel optical effect, and means for rotating the rotatable members, substantially as herein set forth.

It witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS BOWDENI Witnesses:

P. D. BAILEY, ll. 0. PENNINGTON. 

